


Remnant of a Lost Age

by Alshoruzen



Series: Lost Empire [1]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fantasy, M/M, Reincarnation, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-14 02:12:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18043493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alshoruzen/pseuds/Alshoruzen
Summary: As an archeologist, Shinichi dedicated his life to uncovering the mysteries of the lost empire. His search, however, leads him to a stranger he feels he should know and the remnants of a terrible magic. KaiShin





	Remnant of a Lost Age

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.
> 
> Pairing: KaitoxShinichi
> 
> Chapter Rating: T
> 
> Note: This is part of my Different Suns collection of KaiShin Fantasy AUs on FF.Net. For the whole collection, please visit <https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9719934/1/Different-Suns>

The sprawling ruins of the ancient kingdom of magic that had once ruled over the entire continent was one of the greatest mysteries of the world. It was said to house not only countless lost treasures but the secret to magic that had long ago been forgotten. As an archeologist, however, Kudo Shinichi was interested in neither treasure nor magic. The thing that fascinated him was the greatest mystery of them all: what exactly had brought about the end of the mighty empire?

People had been searching for the answer for over one thousand years, but no one had found the answer yet. All anyone knew was that, in a single night, the empire's capital city had gone from being the most magnificent in the world to being nothing but a ruin with no survivors. After that, the empire had rapidly crumbled to dust.

Shinichi had been fourteen when he first began foraying into the ruins to explore and search for answers. Now, at the age of nineteen, he was recognized as one of the leading authorities on the empire's language, art and architecture. Still, he was no closer to uncovering the answer he was looking for than he had been at fourteen.

Everything changed in the basement of the empire's ruined castle.

It began with a trapdoor. Which was kind of embarrassing actually. He totally had not been expecting the throne to move when he backed up into its backrest on accident to get a better look at the mural on the back wall of the throne room. He had bumped into the thing before, and it had never moved then. This time, however, it slid away from him like it had been greased, and he fell straight into the hole beneath with an extremely undignified but totally justified scream.

He didn't remember hitting the ground.

When he woke, he found himself lying on a hard, stone floor in the dark. Groaning, he pushed himself into a sitting position. Patting around on the ground around him, he found his pack lying a few steps away.

Finding the small, round stone in the front pouch, he held it and chanted the activation spell. The stone began to glow, and he could see that he was lying on the floor of a hexagonal chamber. There were hallways in three of the walls. The remaining three were covered in inscriptions and carvings.

All other thoughts fled as he got shakily to his feet and made his way to one of the walls. The carvings here were startlingly clean, almost like they were new. The form of writing was definitely from the empire, but at the same time it was different. Some kind of code perhaps? The most important writings from that time had often been written in code.

Shinichi's heart leapt with rising excitement. Hurrying back to his pack, aches and pains forgotten, he dug out his notebook and pen. Then he returned to the wall and began copying down the inscriptions and drawings as best he could using only the light of his sunlight orb to see with.

It wasn't until he had finished copying down all the carvings in the chamber that he remembered that he should be trying to find a way out.

Looking up, he couldn't even see a ceiling, let alone the trap door he had fallen through. Nor was there any hint of a ladder or staircase. And that was just strange too. Why have a trapdoor that dropped you straight down into a chamber with no way to climb out? Unless it wasn't a trapdoor… Maybe it had just been a plain old trap.

If that was the case then he could be in trouble. Never one to panic too early though, Shinichi had turned his attention to the three hallways. These carvings must have taken time to make, and the sculptors would have had to be able to come and go. Besides, why carve something somewhere unless you wanted someone someday to be able to see it?

The problem was that he had no idea which hall to take.

"Might as well just pick one then," he said with a sigh. Opening his notebook to a fresh page and tucking the sunlight orb into the wire carrier attached to the leather thong around his neck, he chose a path and random and set off, beginning to map his path as he went.

It didn't take him long to realize that he had fallen into a maze. That meant two things. One, if he kept turning in the same direction, he should eventually be able to find his way out—provided this was a flat maze with an exit on the same level. And two, if this maze was very big, he was doomed. He had some food and water in his pack, but, even if he rationed, he wouldn't last more than a few days.

This was bad.

Looking on the bright side, he was collecting a whole journal full of new inscriptions.

He just hoped he lived long enough to figure out what they meant.

-0-

The second turning point came on the fourth day of being hopelessly lost.

Shinichi had been crouching at the foot of a pillar, copying down the pattern drawn there, when a voice spoke up from behind him.

"You sure are a strange one."

Considering he knew he was alone and hadn't heard any footsteps, Shinichi jumped three feet in the air. Spinning around, he saw a shadowy figure looming behind him. He leapt back on instinct, hitting the pillar he had just been examining and cracking the back of his head against the stone. He dropped his notebook and pen and clutched at the back of his skull.

The stranger had the audacity to laugh. "Oops. Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I'm not scared." Scowling, Shinichi lowered his arms and straightened, squinting through the darkness. The stranger was standing just beyond the reach of his sunlight orb's soft glow, so all he could make out was that the man was taller than he was, and his hair seemed quite messy. He also appeared to be wearing some kind of cloak. And the gleam of his eyes in the dark were an unusual indigo color.

Well, he seemed human.

It was as Shinichi came to these conclusions that the strange man's eyes widened. Suddenly, the man was moving forward. In a few quick strides, he was right in front of Shinichi.

Startled and suddenly extremely aware of the fact that he was unarmed, Shinichi tried to back away, only to be reminded once again that there was a pillar behind him. With his back pressed against the stone, he stared, wide-eyed as the stranger's gloved hand rose and caught his chin in a firm grip, forcing Shinichi to tilt his head back.

He found himself staring straight into a pair of indigo eyes set in a face not much older than his own. The intensity in those eyes took his breath away, and, for a moment, he couldn't think. His heart skipped a beat, and his stomach did something funny and squirmy that it had never done before. It was only because of the storm of emotions he could see in those eyes, he told himself. There was relief, sorrow, hope, and an inexplicable joy, none of which made any sense.

"It's really you," the strange man murmured, his voice barely a whisper. Was that a tear gleaming in the corner of his eyes? But…

Then the stranger whom Shinichi was pretty sure he had never met before leaned in and kissed him full on the mouth.

And that was about when Shinichi's brain stopped working completely.

-0-

"Stop following me!"

"I'm not following you. I am simply walking in the same direction."

Shinichi snorted loudly, clearly expressing his disbelief, and picked up his pace. The stranger, however, only smiled that infuriatingly smug smile he never seemed to be without and continued to walk just a step behind the archeologist. He made no sound at all as he moved, which had been rather creepy until Shinichi got used to it. And he had had no choice but to get used to it since the guy had been following him for the past two days. Ever since the man had k—kissed him.

A hot flush rose to Shinichi's cheeks at the memory. Seriously, who just went and kissed someone they had just met?! At least the man hadn't tried to do anything else to him after that.

The guy hadn't even bothered to explain what he was doing down in this maze or where he had come from. All he had said was that his name was Kaito.

Honestly, the guy was just weird. He appeared out of nowhere, never seemed to sleep, and, as far as Shinichi could remember, barely ate or drank anything. He didn't seem worried at all that they were both lost with no way out. What was his game?

He didn't appear to be an archeologist. He showed no interest in the writings on the walls. Maybe he was a treasure hunter. There were plenty of those crawling the ruins at any given time. He could be one of those treasure hunters who specialized in finding old magic spells and items. He had shown himself to be a powerful mage.

He had already demonstrated that he could cast a variety of spells from summoning light to conjuring water (which had thankfully solved the water supply problem), all without a single crystal. And here Shinichi had always been told that elemental crystals were a requirement for magic. Period. So how was Kaito doing it? Either the man was some unheard of level of master mage—or he wasn't what he seemed.

One of Shinichi's friends growing up had loved telling stories of all the strange, magical monsters and evil spirits that lurked in the darker recesses of ancient ruins and untamed wildernesses. Among those stories had been plenty of tales of shape shifting creatures who tricked unwary travelers only to torment then devour them.

Shinichi shook away the thought. He didn't need to go turning into Sonoko. Besides, strange though he was, he couldn't help but feel that Kaito…wasn't a bad person.

"You all right?" a voice murmured into his ear.

Yelping, Shinichi leapt away from the fiend who had just snuck him behind him. "Don't do that! Haven't you ever heard of personal space?"

"Oh come on. I was just worried since you were spacing out. Seriously though, you really are strange. I mean, here you are, lost in a strange place, and yet you still insist on stopping to copy down some old writings every chance you get. Don't you think your priorities are a little skewed?"

Shinichi frowned. "This is the discovery of a lifetime! This could be the key to the truth behind the fall of the old magic empire."

Kaito paused, expression unreadable. Then he shrugged. "Maybe. But that was a long time ago, wasn't it?"

"That doesn't mean it isn't important. The truth is the truth no matter how old it is."

Kaito stared at him for a long moment before he burst out laughing.

Torn between confused a mildly hurt by the outright disregard for his life's work, Shinichi spun on his heels and stormed away. "Jerk."

It was then, as he rushed through the corridors, angry at Kaito for being so insensitive and at himself for caring what the moron thought about his work, that he stumbled across the next turning point. This one came in the form of a massive, circular chamber unlike any he had seen so far.

His steps slowed to a stop.

The chamber had a high, domed ceiling entirely made of crystal from which a cold light radiated. Beneath it lay an intricate, mosaic floor covered in what had to be some form of magical diagram. The innermost circle of the diagram was a raised dais upon which stood a stone altar. Was this some kind of chapel? The old empire was believed to have been polytheistic, and Shinichi had seen many different types of temples and shrines during his research, but he had never seen one like this.

The thrill of a new discovery made his pulse quicken, and he stepped forward.

"Wait!"

Stopping in mid step, he turned to see Kaito standing behind him. For once, the man wasn't smiling.

"You shouldn't get any closer. Actually, you should get out of this room. Now."

"What're you talking about?"

"This place is dangerous for you."

"What do you mean? There's nothing here."

"Just come with me."

"Would it kill you to explain? What is this place? And how do you know anything about it?"

"I'll explain if you come with me. Now please." Kaito held out his hand, gaze unwavering.

Sighing, Shinichi turned to look again at the strange altar beneath its artificial sky. The archeologist in him wanted nothing more than to rush over for a closer look, but… Kaito looked serious.

"Just let me make a quick sketch. I won't walk any closer." Ignoring Kaito's objections, he opened his notebook and began to draw.

It was as he was staring at that altar, trying to memorize its design that he felt a pain lance through his chest. A roaring filled his ears. He barely heard Kaito calling his name.

-0-

He woke to someone shaking him.

"—ichi! Shinichi!"

With a groan, he forced his eyes open to a blur that slowly resolved itself into a worried face.

"Kaito?" he managed to asp out.

Relief broke out across the other man's face, and he pulled Shinichi into a tight embrace. "You scared the hell out of me!"

Shinichi blinked slowly. Under normal circumstances, he would have been blushing and flailing to get out of Kaito's grasp, but his body still felt numb, and he was having a hard time focusing. With his thoughts in shambles, he found that there was something comforting about being held by Kaito. The other's embrace was strong and warm and…familiar. But that wasn't right. They'd only met a few days ago. So how could he feel so comfortable around the strange mage? Why did it feel almost right to be held like this by him?

"Shinichi?" Kaito leaned down so close that they were practically bumping noses. "Can you hear me? Do you remember where you are?"

Fighting back a blush, Shinichi raised a sluggish hand to push Kaito back a bit. "I—I'm okay. It's not like I hit my head or anything… Er, I didn't, did I?"

"No, you didn't." Kaito sat back a little, but he seemed reluctant to actually let go of Shinichi, so he left his arms wrapped loosely around the archeologist. "What do you remember?"

"I…remember a bright room and some kind of table… An altar of some kind, I think… And there were people…"

Kaito stiffened, but Shinichi was too focused on trying to remember to notice.

"They were…wearing cloaks, I think… I don't remember their faces, but… There was a woman… I…feel like I should know who she was. She had blond hair, but I can't…"

A hand cupped the side of his face, turning his head so that he was looking Kaito in the eyes. The look he saw there made his words die on his tongue.

"It's okay if you don't remember. It's better that way."

"I…" Shinichi started then stopped. His throat had gone strangely dry. He swallowed. He couldn't look away from those indigo eyes, so full of anguish and regret that they made something inside Shinichi twist in pain. "I don't understand."

A small, sad smile tugged at the corners of Kaito's mouth. "I know. Like I said, it's better that way."

"But why?" Shinichi demanded, frustration spiking. He was confused, and he couldn't understand why Kaito wouldn't explain if he knew. What were these strange feelings? And what about those flashes. Had that been a dream? A hallucination? A memory? But there was no one else down here, so who could those people have been?

"You said you'd explain," he recalled, leveling Kaito with an accusing look. "So explain. Who are you? What do you know about this place? And why do I feel like I should know you? What was up with that room? Why—"

He was silenced by a finger being pressed against his lips.

"Hush now," Kaito said, an amused smile replacing the somber one he'd been wearing before. "I did say I would explain, so I will. But I can't tell you anything if you just keep asking questions."

Shinichi quieted, waiting.

Kaito let his hand fall and shifted so that he was sitting cross-legged on the floor. Shinichi moved to mirror his position so that they were now facing each other.

"My full name is Kuroba Kaito. I see you've heard of my family," he observed at Shinichi's sharp intake of breath.

Shinichi had heard all right. The Kurobas were one of the seventeen noble houses of the old magic empire, but, like the rest, they were supposed to have died out in the disaster that befell the capital.

"So there were survivors?" Shinichi asked, leaning forward.

One corner of Kaito's lips quirked. "No, there weren't."

"But you just said—"

"Everyone's gone," Kaito cut in, voice harsh. Shinichi shut his mouth with an almost audible click. He had to fight the urge to back away. "The only reason I'm still here is that I was cursed."

Blue eyes widened. "…Still…? You mean…"

"I've been stuck here for the last one thousand years."

"That's awful…"

Kaito blinked then laughed. "More boring than anything else. The first two centuries were the worst. But then researchers and scavengers started poking around. So I spend most of my time watching them. I've seen some pretty strange characters, I can tell you."

"I still don't understand though. How is that possible?" Shinichi frowned, hand rising to his chin as he thought. If Kaito really was from the old kingdom (and, impossible as it sounded, Shinichi found he believed Kaito wasn't lying), it would explain his ability to use magic without power crystals. It was said that the noble families of the empire were the first creators of power crystals. They themselves could use magic freely. They were the first and only true mages said to have been the descendants of an even more ancient race. But even the mages of old had never been said to be immortal. "What did you mean when you said you were cursed?"

"It started in that chamber. Or maybe you should say it ended there." Kaito thought for a moment then shook his head. "It doesn't matter. What's important is that, a thousand years ago, some very unsavory people conducted a magical ritual there. One that would create the ultimate power crystal. They called it the God Crystal because it would have granted its holder all the powers of a god. It was a terrible spell. Some of us caught wind of what they were up to and tried to stop them. You see the result around you." He waved a hand at their surroundings to indicate the ruins.

"So…who won?"

"No one. We interrupted the ritual, but we couldn't save anyone. Power is dangerous. The spell went out of control. The best you could say is that the culprits didn't get away either."

"And the curse?"

"The core of the power they created with their ritual never attained a solid state, but it was close. When we interrupted the ritual, that power split into two and merged with the souls of the two people closest to the center of the ritual site at the time. One was their leader. The other was me."

"So if you're still here then—"

"She must be too. Our souls were anchored to the ritual site. We can only get so far away from it. But she might have found a way to leave. That or she's hiding from me. I've been searching these ruins for the last ten centuries, but I haven't been able to find her."

"Was she that woman? The one I saw with the pale hair?"

Kaito sighed as though he wished Shinichi hadn't asked. "Most likely."

"So are there like…memories in that room or something?"

"No." Reaching out, he placed a hand on top of Shinichi's head. "Just forget about that, okay? It'll be better that way."

"I want to understand—" Shinichi started to protest only to be cut off by a pair of lips covering his own. The hand on his head slid down to the back of his neck, keeping him in place.

Kaito pulled back, leaving Shinichi beet red and spluttering. "Now, I assume you want to get out of here."

"Wait, what?" Shinichi stammered, still reeling from the kiss. "You mean you know how to get out of here?"

"Of course. I have been living here for the last one thousand years."

"Then why didn't you say so sooner?!"

"You just seemed to be having so much fun copying down all the writings on the walls."

"That's so—just—argh! And that means you know how to read this stuff too, don't you? So that means I've just been wasting my time!"

"Huh? I never said that. These catacombs were built before I was born, and they're written in code. Not just one code either. There's a different code for every chamber. It was some crazy historian's idea."

"Oh." Shinichi calmed down. "So you can show me how to leave?"

"I can transport you directly to the edge of the city ruins, if you'd like. But that's as far as I can go. I can't set foot outside the old city limits."

Shinichi frowned slightly, looking down. "That doesn't seem fair…"

Since he was looking down, he missed the gentle, genuine smile that flitted across Kaito's face. "You always were kind," he murmured.

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing. The truth is, there is one way I could leave."

"How?"

"My soul is anchored to a stone set into that altar you saw. It was meant to serve as the core of the new crystal."

"So if we take it out of the altar, you can go wherever it goes."

Kaito laughed. "That would be one way, but that would mean bringing her with us. If she's still here."

"Then what were you thinking?"

"I can move the anchor to something else, provided it's compatible."

"So some kind of crystal?"

"It's unlikely we'd find a suitable one. The crystal in that altar wasn't found, it was made. But I'm pretty sure I could anchor to you, if you agree to it."

"T—to me?"

"Yep. So how about it? Will you help me?"

Shinichi hesitated. He wanted to help. No one deserved to be stuck in this ruined city forever. But… "If you anchor to me, doesn't that mean you'd have to go wherever I do?"

Kaito grinned. "I'll never leave your side again~. We'll be together forever."

"…I'm not sure this is a good idea."

"Oh come on. Think of all the benefits. I could help you with your archeological studies. I'm a great conversationalist, and I'm the best mage you're ever going to meet. I can protect you and make traveling a whole lot easier."

Apparently, modesty was not one of Kaito's fortes. That was just like him though.

Shinichi paused. Why had he just thought that? And what was this odd, fuzzy feeling that had arisen with the thought?

"I…I guess you can come with me, if you really want to. But what will happen to you when I die?"

Kaito's face went blank for a split second before his usual relaxed grin fell back into place. "Most likely, the anchor would just shift back here again. Although," he added, leaning forward so that their foreheads were touching as his expression once again grew somber. Wistful. "If I'm really, really lucky, maybe this curse will just let me go with you to the next life."

Something in Shinichi clenched at the look in Kaito's eyes and the deep, aching sorrow in his words. Shinichi could feel the corners of his eyes prickling, and he realized with surprise and no little confusion that they were tears. His vision blurred.

Warm arms came around him, pulling him into a warm embrace as a chin came to rest atop his head and a low, soothing voice whispered into his ear.

"It's okay. You don't have to worry about me. Now let's get you out of here."

-0-

It had been so long since he had seen the sun that the light stung his eyes. Shinichi threw an arm over his face, fighting back a grimace.

"Oops. Sorry. Should've picked somewhere shady, huh?"

"It—it's okay." Blinking rapidly, Shinichi slowly lowered his arm. He knew they had moved, but he was still shocked to see the familiar sight of the castle ruins in front of him. In the blink of an eye, he had been transported from the endless catacombs deep beneath the basement levels of the city to the main street in front of the castle. To either side of him grew ancient trees intertwined with the remnants of the city's ancient buildings. Large portions of the city looked like pure wilderness these days—a jungle beneath which countless lives lay buried. Forgotten.

For a fleeting instant, he saw a different city. One that looked like a picture from a fairytale, glittering beneath the sun. Perfect. Beautiful. Alive.

But then it was gone, and the ruins were back.

"Shinichi?" Hands came to rest on his shoulders.

"Why?" he whispered, not turning around.

"Why what?"

"I keep…seeing things. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I don't know why. You do though, don't you?"

The hands on his shoulders tightened. "I don't know what you mean."

"You're lying."

Kaito sighed. Stepping forward, he wrapped his arms around Shinichi's waist and pulled the blue-eyed teen back against him. "Some mysteries are better left as mysteries."

Shinichi sighed. "That's not fair," he grumbled, leaning back unconsciously into the embrace. His own reaction only made him all the more determined to find out the truth. If Kaito wouldn't help then he'd find it on his own.

"So didn't you need to do some kind of transfer spell?"

"I can do it whenever you're ready."

"Might as well get it over with then. What do I need to do?"

"Nothing. Just stand still and relax. It might feel a little strange, but I promise it's harmless."

"O—okay." Beginning to feel nervous, Shinichi took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Kaito began chanting in a language Shinichi had never heard before. The syllables flowed like silk across his eardrums, weaving an almost hypnotic rhythm. With it came a strange heat like he had just downed a bowl of hot soup. He was just beginning to wonder just how long this was going to take when his entire world lurched. There was a split second of pure disorientation, then everything snapped back into place.

His eyes flew open. He caught a fleeting glimpse of the sky. Then everything tilted sideways, and his vision went black.

Kaito caught the archeologist as he collapsed. "I guess that was a bit much," he muttered. Scooping the unconscious archeologist into his arms, Kaito carried him out of the street and into the shade of a nearby tree. There, he lay Shinichi down on the grass and sat next to him. Reaching out, he gently bushed the archeologist's bangs out of his eyes, a soft, sad smile making its way onto his face. "I'll never let anyone take you away from me again. I swear. This time, I'll protect you."

**Author's Note:**

> I don't actually know how many parts are going to be in this yet, so the number is just a place holder.


End file.
